The Consequences of Failure
by redlerred7
Summary: After finding out that her actions had doomed Madoka to a fate worse than death, Homura still decided to try again ONE LAST TIME. What will she do now that resetting is no longer an option? Will she finally succeed or will she have to face the consequences of failure? Disclaimer: I do not own Madoka Magica
1. Reset

**So. Here is a Homura-centric Madoka Magica fanfic I've had ideas stuck in my head for a long time. Guess when those ideas turned into a cohesive story? In the middle of the freakin night, like always. Although this first chapter is a lot shorter than I expected it to be...  
**

**update: I edited some typos**

**MADOKA MAGICA**

_I have doomed Madoka to a fate worse than death. For hundreds of iterations, I watched her die and be reborn as the very thing I was tasked to destroy, but little did I know that the more I tried, the worse her fate became. Because of my insistence on saving her, she is now destined to destroy the world as a witch. I knew that if I went back again, Madoka would be condemned to an even crueler punishment, yet I still did. Why? Because I had one more chance – one slim chance of preventing this tragedy from occurring. I had one more chance... If I fail, I must face the consequences..._

**MADOKA MAGICA**

"One more chance"

These were the words whispered by Homura Akemi as she calmly opened her eyes to the sight of a pure white hospital ceiling. She had just had a nightmare, but the unfortunate number of times she's experienced it had numbed her to its horrors. She sat up with nary a shiver.

Sitting on the side of the bed, the raven haired girl raised her hand up to her face and examined the ring on her finger – her soul gem.

"This is what began everything..." She said softly. Her open hand clenched into a fist "and this is what will end it..."

Homura stood up and removed the braids from her hair. She walked to the mirror by her desk and looked at herself. Calm violet eyes looked back at her, exuding cold determination. Her face glowed with stoic beauty; her pale skin fitting nicely with lighting and color scheme of the hospital room around her. Her hair waved gently from unseen wind, black as night and long enough to reach her waist.

While most people would see an exceptionally pretty girl, Homura saw a failure who dared to look her in the eye. As frustration welled up inside her, the stoic girl forced her gaze away from the mirror and looked at the calendar on her desk.

April 16, Saturday. She had thirty days till Walpurgisnacht arrived. Four weeks to fix what she did wrong. A month to prevent the contracting, or worse, the end of the world. The task weighed heavily on her shoulders and threatened to crush her.

She glanced to the side, noticing her glasses. Her eye sight was bad, but she could always compensate with magic. _Then again, it may be better to conserve energy._ She decided to forgo creating a magical lens over her eyes and put the glasses on.

She walked over to her window and viewed the city of Mitakihara before her. On the 16th of next month, the bustling metropolis would be nothing more than a flooded wasteland.

_This city will see its destruction soon._ Homura thought. _It's best to enjoy the sights while I can._ "Now, on to business..." She held up her hand, materializing her soul gem. "There's a military base I must raid..."

**MADOKA MAGICA**

It was early morning on the 17th that Homura began another one of her major objectives for that time line: Prevent Madoka Kaname from making her initial contract.

It was a simple matter of picking up the stray cat that was supposed to get hit by a truck in front of the pink haired girl. It almost felt too easy, considering many of her earlier tries involved keeping Madoka from going anywhere near said cat – an act which proved far more difficult than she had first imagined.

Now, in the late afternoon, the cat sat lazily on Homura's desk as the girl was taking inventory of the weapons she had spent the whole of the previous night stealing.

_...Ten thousand Nato rounds... two thousand 9mm rounds... six hundred grenades... I may need to raid another base. This isn't nearly enough to face Walpurgisnacht alone... _Homura thought as she began listing down everything she had pilfered from the military. _Face it alone..._

"Meow" The cat purred as it began brushing glasses girl's hand.

Homura afforded herself a small smile and pet the cat. It was surprisingly tame for a stray. The black cat purred once more and jumped off the desk to wander the rest of her apartment. It seemed quite fascinated by the various holo projectors and giant gears of clock work on her ceiling – another little something the raven-haired girl may or may not have "acquired" during her raid last night.

"Madoka..."_The cat had once been hers. That feline had once been the catalyst for Madoka to become a magical girl. She wished it back to life in the first and second time line... Time lines..._ "This will be the last. I can no longer afford to fail. No more resets."

Homura stood from her seat and moved to the center of the room. With several flicks of her hand, she began moving the holograms around her. She snapped her fingers and a large map of Mitakihara appeared in front of her. Various lines of various colors connected dots leading to different locations, each with a time marked over them. Two lines converged upon one point at 12am that night. One was white, the other was pink.

_As much as possible, I must keep everyone alive in this __time line._ _They must know the truth when they actually need to – not before; not after; if possible, not ever... _Homura chuckled dryly. _That'__s the__ easy __part__._ _My problem is Kyubey..._ She stared at the white line connecting with the pink one and scowled. _He's better at adapting to the changes I make in a time line. He is the wrench caught in the gears of my plans which would otherwise go like clock work... I'll need to deal with him __like always__... _The intensity of her gaze could bore a hole through picture if it wasn't for the fact that is was holographic. She seemed to make a razor thin smile._ Actually... I think__ I'll try something a bit different this time..._

**MADOKA MAGICA**

Midnight, April 18...

A small animal stood in front of a residence. The sign on the gate said it was owned by the Kaname family. That animal had impossibly white fur, remarkably long ears, and two flowing tails. Hoops seemed to float around it's ears and red markings on its back glowed softly. The creature looked at the building curiously.

"Kyubey"

The white animal called Kyubey looked around to see a figure on the other side of the street. The night was cloudy and moonless – it was difficult to see. Even so, the creature seemed to know what called out to her.

"_I take it you're a magical girl. __Normal people can't see me._" Kyubey said, turning to the figure shrouded in darkness. "_What can I be of service to you?_" It was incapable of showing emotions and it showed in its face and voice.

"You wish to contract with Madoka Kaname" The girl stated. "I wish for you to postpone your move until _after_ May 16"

"_... __Who _are_ you...?_" The creature asked cautiously. "_I'm in charge of contracting majority of the girls on this side of the country and I have no memory of ever contracting you..._"

"Will you grant my request?" The girl ignored Kyubey's question and asked again.

"_If you have knowledge of what will transpire on May 16, then I assume you are quite dangerous...__"_ The creature continued to stare at the shadowed girl. "... _Very well, I will grant your request._ _The contracting of Madoka Kaname will be postponed until May 17."_

The creature walked away, melding into the darkness and disappearing. _"__Whatever you are planning, be prepared to face its consequences...__" _The creature's voice echoing through the streets, unheard except by one.

**MADOKA MAGICA**

******So yeah. Here's Madoka Magica fic. Not the most original ideas, but, hey, nothing is truely original. The least someone can do is spice things up with their own take on the concept. I don't think it's terrible and I hope you don't think that either. Enjoy (BTW, **I was **originally going**** to add ****in a part ****involving Mami in this chapter but Kyubey's last line was the perfect ender for this chapter)**

**(****the next chapter's upload date is undefined right now. I currently have another fic that I'm working on and mid terms is coming soon. I'm sorry)**


	2. Steel

**It seems that may story has garnered its fair share of interest (and even one of my writing senpai noticed me. *squee*). I'll do my best not to disappoint you. Here's the next chapter, this time from the point of view of Mami (although I deliberately kept the dialogue and inner contemplation to a minimum)**

**Update: Changed the opening paragraph to have a bit of back story and explanation**

**MADOKA MAGICA**

_In the first and second time lines, this witch was defeated by the efforts of both Mami Tomoe and Madoka Kaname. For all other subsequent time lines, I had defeated it myself before anyone else could get to it. In this time line, however, it may prove useful in dealing with Mami Tomoe._

_Let Phase two begin..._

**MADOKA MAGICA**

On the night of April 24th, the Mitakihara market district was unnervingly quiet.

A solitary figure walked across the pavement between the rows of closed stores. It was a girl with golden hair and eyes. Her name was Mami Tomoe.

This area was where she felt the Witch's magic. Sure enough, the witch alerted the blond of its presence the moment the stepped onto the walkway. Various bits of metal began floating and clumping together. Screws, tables, door knobs, steet lamps – they all got ripped apart and convereged into one point in space. Even the rebar of nearby buildings got pulled out of the concrete they were encased in. It wasn't long before a three meter high gate of scrap metal was towering over Mami.

**(A/N: For those who still use the imperial system, 1 m = 3.3 Ft)**

She held out her hand and materialized her soul gem. There was a brilliant flash and suddenly she was clad in a frilly yellow dress and beret. She took a deep breath to steel herself. She opened the door and walked through, entering the witch's barrier.

The dream scape known as this witch labyrinth was, quite literally, a labyrinth. Gigantic walls of compacted scrap rose high enough to pierce the heavens. The clouds above were so thick they might as well have been a white ceiling.

After a few seconds of scanning for enemies, Mami continued forward, trusting her intuition to help her navigate the maze.

There was a tense silence in the labyrinth, only broken by the sound of clashing metal in the distance. She encountered no familiars when she rounded the first corner, nor the second, nor the third. The blond was beginning to wonder if she was going in circles – she couldn't tell because of the subtle curvature of the hallways. She was almost glad when she was suddenly attacked by the walls of metal around her.

Various gears, screws, and wrenches erupted out of the structures, some rusted, some new and shiny. The witch's familiars – They were mooks who's job is to stand in the way of Mami's advance... or so she thought.

The gears were the size of bike wheels, spinning around to gather scrap metal around them to send them flying to their target. The screws were no bigger than regular screws but they flew around in swarms, possibly to overwhelm their victims with prick after prick. The wrenches' clamps were saw-toothed and they had twelve thin spindly legs, like a giant steel centipede. They seemed to be driving her deeper into the labyrinth.

Mami decided to go with the flow while defending as best as she could with her ribbons. She figured that if they were leading her to the witch, she might as well let them.

**MADOKA MAGICA**

It took less than five minutes for the familiars to drive her into the witch's chamber. Having done their purpose, Mami eliminated them. She summoned a dozen guns and blasted the metallic creatures into tiny bits of scrap.

She turned to examined the chamber.

The room was circular, several hundred meters wide, and with a floor that dipped downward steeply. A gigantic sink hole deep as a sky scrapper is tall spanned most of the room. And in middle of it was the witch – an iridescent red egg the size of a car. It seemed dormant.

The gunner materialized a musket and shot the egg. Loud screeching resounded all throughout the labyrinth – Mami could feel the vibrations all around her. Iron and steel began raining down from the sky, latching onto the egg. Soon, a giant deformed bird made of scrap metal was floating over her.

The blond looked at the eldritch abomination with a face of awe, fear, and determination. This is the witch she must face. This is the witch she must vanquish. Mami summoned another gun, and another, and another – each time, shooting at the beast as she circled the sink hole.

Few of the shots hit their target – most of them simply hit the vast amount of flak orbiting around the witch. When a shot DID impact, no visible damage appeared on the creature, although it grew more agitated by the attack.

The behemoth screamed with the voice of a thousand sharpening knives as the metallic debris floating around the creature began homing into the gunner.

Mami immediately jumped into the pit, shooting down the projectiles as she fell. Upon reaching the bottom, she grit her teeth and materialized six artillery cannons around her. She felt the drain on her soul gem, but if she was going to take this witch down, she had to break out the strongest moves in her arsenal as it seems that conventional attacks would not be effective.

With a snap of her fingers, the big guns fired simultaneously, causing a massive explosion on the moment it impacted the witch.

Those six shots blasted off the entire left wing and parts of the chest and neck. It was devastating damage, but alas, the witch could repair itself by gathering more metal – a resource which was readily available. It took no time for the witch to reform its lost limb.

Mami looked at the huge mass of scrap floating above her. This was the end. She could not defeat this monster. The blond fell to her knees as the creature made another ear splitting screech and more flak rained down on her. Her soul gem began to darken as she resigned herself to her death. She closed her eyes in fear

**MADOKA MAGICA**

Mami opened her eyes to find that she was, in fact, not dead. Instead, she was lying on the ground near the entrance to the chamber.

As if to answer her immediate question of 'how?', she felt the prick of needle as a grief seed was dropped onto her opened hand. She turned her head to see another magical girl – a girl with long flowing black hair, clad in white and dark violet, who had an intricate shield mounted on her right arm. The other magical girl had saved her.

"Use that" The raven haired girl said, walking to the edge the pit. Her voice was vaguely familiar. "I will weaken it. You gather your strength and take it out." With that, the other magical girl blinked out of existence.

At the exact moment of the girl's disappearance, explosions began rhythmically erupting on and around the witch. With every detonation, the interval between the next one grew shorter and shorter. Soon, there was something blasting the creature every split second.

As the grief seed cleaned her gem, Mami's mind began growing clearer. She knew what the other magical girl was doing: She was melting down and/or blasting away all the cannon fodder and nearby pieces of metal – she was trying to give the blond a clear shot.

Mami materialized another musket and wrapped it in ribbons, morphing it into a giant rifle the size of a tank. The drain on her magic was staggering. If she fired, she didn't know how much magic she'd have left, if any at all. "_I'm ready_" She broadcasted to the other magical girl through telepathy.

Suddenly, the smoke around the witch dispersed, giving Mami a clear look at her target. The previously deformed abomination of a bird was little more than a mass of molten metal that vaguely resembled something with wings. But that particular detail wasn't important. What WAS important was that the core – the shiny red egg – was exposed.

"Fire now" The raven haired girl said. Mami suddenly realized that the shield user was next to her and had put her hand on the gun as well. The blond felt an influx of magical energy flow into her at the other's touch.

The cannon began humming with energy, it's glow becoming more and more powerful. The blond barely held on as the magic flowed out of her at an alarming rate. In a way, she was thankful that the other girl was also supplying energy to the weapon. "Tiro Finale..." Mami pulled the trigger and she felt a lurch in her stomach. "TIRO...!" She screamed in a mix of emotions – in pain; in relief; in hope; in despair. She screamed with all her might as the cannon fired. "FINALE!"

A single giant shining orb of magic and death burst forth from the barrel and zoomed straight toward the witch. The explosion upon impact was nuclear – the heat could be felt from hundreds of meters away and the shock wave was almost enough to crush the two girls. The light from the blast was blinding...

**MADOKA MAGICA**

"Mami Tomoe"

Mami bolted upright. In the split second after her eyes opened, she took in as much information as possible. She was alive. She was in the middle of an empty market district. Her soul gem was remarkable unclouded. She was, however, incredibly tired. Lastly, the other magical girl was standing in front of her.

"... Th-thank you for your help..." Mami managed get back on her feet. Then a look of realization appeared on her face. She jumped back and materialized a gun "How do you know my name?"

The raven-haired girl raised her hands and transformed out of her magical girl outfit. With a single calm word, she answered. "Kyubey"

"Kyubey...?" Mami lowered the rifle.

"Kyubey is the creature in charge of contracting girls in this area. That area is wide, spanning several cities. Various magical girls contracted by Kyubey claimed to be recruited by none other than you. It isn't that uncommon to know your name"

The blond was speechless. The barrage of statements were all facts; She couldn't deny them.

"At 4pm tomorrow at the local mall, two girls will become trapped in a witch's labyrinth." The shield user told her. "You are to, under no circumstances, encourage them to become magical girls"

"Wait, you can't just-"

Mami's argument was cut off. "Mami Tomoe" The girl ran her hand through her hair. "There are things about being magical girls that you may or may not know about." When the blond didn't respond, the raven-haired girl took it as cue to continue "These are things deliberately kept secret by creatures like Kyubey..." She looked at the gunner's apprehensive face with little to no emotion. "Would you like to know these secrets...?"

Mami felt genuine fear. Not the same as the fear of the ungodly monsters she had to face on a daily basis, nor the fear of life long loneliness that has plagued her since her contracting. No. She was terrified by the knowledge and it's possible implications. She was terrified of her world view being shattered. She was terrified that the truth of being a magical girl, the only thing she has left, was something she could not handle.

Yet, despite this fear, Mami couldn't say no. An uncontrollable urge kept her going. She had to find out the truth. "Tell me..." She said

A razor thin smile appeared on the shield user's face. "Very well"

**MADOKA MAGICA**

_Mami Tomoe has been dealt with and phase two has begun. How this plays out is no longer in my complete control..._

**MADOKA MAGICA**

**ONLY ONE EVENT happens in this chapter but, surprisingly enough, I REALLY enjoyed writing this chapter. It's been... what, six months since I wrote an action scene? It's been a long time. I wonder if I did it well.**

**I hoped you enjoyed this chapter despite its apparent shortness**


	3. Transfer

**The last chapter was focused on Mami. Now, this chapter goes back to Homura. Fast forward to the morning after the last, it is now Monday and Homura's last first day at Mitakihara middle school.**

**MADOKA MAGICA**

_Class 1-B... I've transferred into this class well over a hundred times at this point. Despite that fact, not once have I ever committed the names of my classmates to memory. It would almost be pathetic if I had not a good reason. If and when I save Madoka in this time line, perhaps I should get to know them better, or at least remember their names._

_Now... It's time to meet my new classmates for the first time for the last time..._

**MADOKA MAGICA**

"My name is Homura Akemi. Pleased to meet you"

It was a bright morning in Mitakihara middle school and the class of Ms. Kazuko Saotome were graced with the arrival of a transfer student. Consider the student was a beautiful girl with long flowing hair, the class felt even more blessed.

The said transfer student heard various whispers from her new classmates, ranging from awed compliments to jealous insults. Over the years upon years' worth of time she spent in the spot light due to her resets, Homura learned to ignore the attention she got. Instead, she scanned the room for a certain pink haired girl.

_There_. It took no time at all for the raven haired girl's eyes to fall upon her target. She had the exact location burned within her memory. _Madoka_.

Madoka Kaname sat near the middle of the class. She had pink hair, tied into pig tails by a bright red ribbon. Her face was kind and gentle. When their eye's met, the pinkette seemed to blush.

The look of youth and joy on the girl brought pain in Homura's chest. The pain of a life she knew she'd never go back to – a life with someone she must protect at all cost. That pain stayed with her no matter where and when she went.

The eye contact lasted less than a second before it became too much for Homura. As she tore her gaze away from the pig tailed girl, she could have sworn she saw a look of worry on her face.

**MADOKA MAGICA**

"Your hair looks amazing! What shampoo do you use?"

At lunch, students flocked around Homura, asking various question she had answered a multitude of times already. She was tempted to just up and leave but she knew there was a certain something she had to take care of.

"I'm sorry. I'm afraid I'm not feeling well" The glasses girl said with practiced ease

"You want me to take you to the infirmary?" A girl offered

"There's no need. I'll just ask the nurse's aid..." With that, the raven-haired girl stood and slowly walked to the nurse's aide, Madoka.

The girl in question was talking with her friends, a boyish bluenette by the name of Sayaka Miki, and a prim and proper girl with wavy green hair named Hitomi Shizuki. As Homura approached the three, she heard snippets of their conversation.

"...think she's weird, you know? I just don't think it's normal to show no emotions whatsoever" Sayaka said

"I don't know. When our eyes met, she seemed really... sad, I guess. It was like she was in pain." Madoka noted

"Maybe whatever it is was the reason she was transferred here?" Was Hitomi's inference.

"Well, now that you mention-" Sayaka's comment was cut short when she noticed the very girl they were talking about was walking towards them. "Speak of the devil..." She muttered.

"Miss Kaname..." Homura asked when she arrived "You're the nurse's aide, correct?"

"Y-yes?" Madoka answered nervously. "How can I help you?"

"I'm... I'm not feeling so well." The glasses girl said. "Could you please take me to the nurse's office?"

The forced tone in which it was said seemed to worry the pinkette. "Um... okay. I'll bring you there." She stood from her seat and held out her hand. "Shall we?"

Homura stared at the palm open before her. This was the first time since the second iteration that Madoka showed this amount of initial kindness to her. The very thought had brought back memories of that time line – memories she would rather just remember than relive. In a split second, the flash back ended. The raven haired girl blinked reluctantly took hold of Madoka's hand.

As the two walked side by side through the corridors in silence, Homura took time to gather her thoughts.

_These are puzzling variations. Not only is my interaction with Madoka different from the hundred others I've experienced, I sense both Mami Tomoe and Kyubey on the roof. Not once in any time line had those two met on this particular day at that particular place... Unfortunately, what's done is done. I cannot, rather, must not change the past. For Madoka's sake, these changes HAVE to be for the better._

"Ms. Akemi..."

"Ah... " The pinkette's voice had brought the raven haired girl out of her daze. "Please. You can call me Homura"

"Oh..." Madoka blinked. A second passed and suddenly she was stammering. "Oh! Y-you can call me Madoka too... if you want to" She said quickly – a bit too quickly, some would say.

"Okay." Homura said calmly. "What did you want to say, Madoka?"

"Eh... well... ah..." She was having trouble starting her sentences. With a loud sigh, Madoka calmed herself. "Are you okay?" She asked. "-I mean not physically. It's... well..." After a few more seconds of silence, she continued. "When I look into your eyes, you just seem so... sad..." The pinkette noted. "Why...? Is something bothering you?"

Both Madoka and Homura stopped in the middle of the connecter hallway between one wing of the school and the other. The light in that corridor was turned off, leaving the room to be lit by the glass windows on either side. They turned towards each other, noting how one would cast a shadow on the other.

"Madoka Kaname, do you believe in fate?" Homura asked through clenched teeth. "Do you believe fate can be changed?"

Madoka closed her eyes and though a good while before answering. "I believe we're free to live our own lives." She smiled "Fate is what we make of it."

The raven haired girl lowered her head and smiled as well. The pinkette gave her hope, and hope was exactly what she needed. "Thank you..."

"Um... you're welcome, I guess..."

And so, they continued walking in silence, still side by side; still hand in hand.

**MADOKA MAGICA**

"Amazing. You just beat the record for half the schools in the district."

PE was, once again, trivial for the raven haired girl. Her status as a magical girl made any physical activity child's play. Had she not felt the eyes watching her, she would have opted not to attend that class at all.

Homura stared off into the distance, towards the main school building. She could feel its presence. She knew it was waiting.

"_Kyubey, __explain yourself. Why are you here?__ We had a deal._" Homura broadcasted to the creature. As she did so, she asked the teacher for leave to go to the restroom.

"_Yes. We did_." Kyubey stated. "_I am not to make any attempts to contract Madoka Kaname until May 17. Am I not following through?_"

Once out of view from her classmates, Homura transformed and blinked out of existence.

"_Homura Akemi?_" The creature had lost the girl's magical signature. Luckily, it didn't need to find her, as she materialized right next to it.

They were on the roof. Alone. It was almost too easy to take Kyubey out right then and there. "Why are you here" She asked again.

"_I am here simply to observe. Madoka Kaname's potential far surpasses anyone contracted within the entire span of human civilization. If I am to contract her in four weeks' time, it would be foolish NOT to observe."_

"Your very presence in this school increases the likeliness of her contracting." The raven haired girl said calmly, despite the boiling of her blood in rage.

"_Rest assured, I will not contract her before our agreed time. I will always hold up my end of the bargain."_

"No, not always. You are not above manipulating the truth to achieve results" She raised her left hand, her soul gem glowing menacingly. "Leave this place before I kill you."

"Do not attempt such an act. It is futile" The creature warned before its head exploded with a blast of purple magic.

"I'll _attempt_ as many times as possible."Homura turned on her heel to aim her blast at another Kyubey sitting right behind her. "No matter how many times you come back"

"_An impressive knowledge of incubators._ _Interesting..._ _You are quite the anomaly.__"_ The creature stated, tilting its head. _"Very well._ _If it makes you so upset that I'm here, then I suppose it's time I leave."_ With that, it padded over to the shadows, disappearing into them.

_This will not pose a problem. __I've planned for this eventuality..._After a few tense seconds, Homura sighed and returned to her normal form._And a__s far as I can tell, Kyubey will still defy me and call Madoka to __him__ later today. That's where Mami comes in..._ She walked to her edge and looked down towards the school grounds. Her class was wrapping up for the session. _I'd better head back..._

**MADOKA MAGICA**

It was a few minutes past three.

School was out for the day. That said, most of the students of Mitakihara Middle School would either be going home or going to the mall. Homura Akemi, among others, fell upon the latter.

What differentiated her from the other mall-goers was her reason for going. She had a job to do.

Homura stood alone in the mall parking as she addressed the situation._Madoka Kaname, Sayaka Miki, and Hitomi Shizuki entered the mall at 3:__13__pm, followed by Kyubey who enters a few minutes later. __Just __like__ in the previous time line__s__, he is planting a grief seed in the __wing__ that's under construction._ With a flash of purple, she transformed. _It's time to get to work..._

**MADOKA MAGICA**

**I hope you enjoyed that.**

**I don't exactly think I did that Homura/Madoka interaction all that well, but I've tried so many times at this point that if I keep trying till I feel like succeeded, chances are, it would be months before this chapter was up.**

**The next chapter will be another action packed one which, unfortunately, will not be focused on Homura. Maybe after a few chapters, I'll make an actiony-chapter for Homura. I'm still having trouble writing for her powers.**


	4. SOS

**So, this is a chapter focused on Sayaka. Sorry it took me half a month to update. I hope you enjoy.**

**MADOKA MAGICA**

_Kyubey planted that grief seed for the purpose of putting Madoka Kaname into a situation where her only way of surviving would be to make a contract. That's what he did in the previous time lines so that's what I assumed he did in this one. I was only half right in my assumption, it seems..._

**MADOKA MAGICA**

"I first met her in a dream"

Three school girls of blue, green, and pink hair sat around a table at a cafe. They were chatting quietly with each other, enjoying the relaxed atmosphere in the shop – the place was busy but not packed, which was something the three were grateful for.

"Met her... in a dream... Wow Madoka. Did you go to bed last night watching too much TV?" Sayaka teased. "Sounds like something an anime character would say"

"I'm serious. I really did dream about her" Madoka insisted

"You're positive you dreamed of Ms Akemi? Are you sure you aren't mistaking her for someone else?" Hitomi asked. "And if it actually _was_ her, are you sure that today was _really_ the first time you met in real life?" Then she added "You might have just seen her while walking through town somewhere and your subconscious must have remembered her face and put it in a dream. I read somewhere that every face you see in your dreams is a face you've seen before, even if it's someone you don't know."

The pinkette thought for a bit. That hypothesis was the most believable explanations she's heard. Truth be told, she wanted to be convinced – she wanted Hitomi to be correct – but for some reason, she just couldn't accept it.

"OH!" Sayaka exclaimed, causing the other two to jump in surprise. "What if you two met in a past life and that dream was a memory from that life? What if that transfer student is some sort of magical being that traveled space and time to be with you!? It'd be like you're destined to meet her!" Madoka just stared at her. "Hey, come on. At least show _some _reaction."

"Sorry. Just..." Madoka shook her head. "I think it's weird that you mentioned destiny and stuff. Earlier today, she actually talked about that..."

"NOT EVEN."

"She did. It seemed like something was bothering her. She stopped in the middle of the sky bridge and she asked me if I believed in fate and if it could be changed." The pig tailed girl frowned. "It was subtle, but I could tell she was desperate for an answer."

"Huh. Well, what do you know..." The bluenette didn't know how to react. "Do you think it's possible that my theory's right?"

Madoka sighed. "I don't know, Sayaka... I don't know..."

After that, there was little conversation between them. They simply sat down and ate the food they ordered.

The relative silence was broken by the sound of a cellphone – Hitomi's phone. "Ah... hello... yes... Understood... I'm on my way... I love you too, mother." The green haired girl stood up. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. I have lessons"

Sayaka chuckled. "What is it this time? Piano? Ballet? Fine dining and breathing?"

"_Tea ceremony _lessons" Hitomi corrected. "I'll see you two tomorrow."

"Heh. Tea ceremony. These rich-kid problems are one of the only reasons why I'm glad my parent's aren't as loaded as yours are." With a smile and wave, Sayaka and Madoka bid farewell to their friend.

Madoka brought out her one phone to check the time. "I think I'm heading out as well."

"Wait, could you go with me to the music store?"

The pinkette smiled "Another gift for Kyousuke?"

To which, Sayaka replied with a grin "Eh, you know me."

"Sure. I'd be glad to."

**MADOKA MAGICA**

"Huh... Well, what's this...?"

While in the music store, browsing the selection of songs, a certain track caught Sayaka's attention. Unlike the songs she normally browsed, it was a four man violin version of a song that was in English. In truth, she had heard the original song before and found it enjoyable at least. The rendition she was listening to, however, felt like something else.

The song started off with a simple repeating bass line. Around eight seconds in, I higher pitched violin began playing the main melody. A few seconds later, a third and fourth violin entered, both with rhythms that complemented the main one. By the time she heard the chorus, Sayaka was thoroughly impressed.

_I'm not sure if Kyousuke will like this, but I know I sure as hell do. _"Madoka, you've got to hear this"

Madoka took the headphones from the bluenette and listened to the music. "Oh... Oh wow... This is beautiful... Wow"

"You think Kyousuke will like it?" Sayaka asked

"I think he will, but I don't know. You know him better."

_Save me_

The bluenette blinked. "You hear that?"

"Hear what?"

_Help_

"_That. _That voice"

Madoka looked at her in confusion. "Sayaka, you're not making sense."

_Please._

Sayaka sighed. _I must be going crazy. _"Actually, I think I forgot something in the cafe. You can go on ahead." She said, running out of the music store. _Where did that voice come from?_

"Ah. Sayaka, wait!"

**(A/N: The song I'm referencing is the violin version of Fall Out Boy's "Dance, Dance" by Vitamin String Quartet. Go give it a listen if you're a fan of Fall Out Boy or violins. You might like the song.)**

**MADOKA MAGICA**

Construction on that wing of the mall that day had been halted after a several workers went missing in the span of an hour. It was strange occurance in that, while they were nowhere on site, all of their belongings were still in the locker room. There wasn't even any security camera footage of them leaving, either. There WAS, however, sounds of scissors snipping in the distance. That, piled with the mysterious disappearances, had caused a substantial amount of alarm among the workers and, indeed, many of the higher ups.

Thus, as Sayaka blatantly entered the construction area with no opposition whatsoever, despite the wing apparently being "authorized personnel only". Why she didn't think it strange that no one stopped her, or that there was no construction on-going was irrelevant. She had other things on her mind.

_Help me._

The voice in her head had gotten louder. The bluenette wasn't sure if she was getting closer to the source or if her auditory hallucination was just getting worse.

_Help_

_Who ARE you... Where are you..._ The bluenette continued walking the corridor before hearing the sound of a small scampering animal. Following her insticts, Sayaka ducked behind cover as the creature approached.

From her concealed position she saw a furry animal resembling a cat limp into view. It's white fur was stained with dirt and what appeared to be blood. _Save me_. The voice emanated from the creature.

The bluenette was just about to walk up to it when she suddenly heard the sound of foot steps. Peeking out from her hiding place, she saw someone she didn't expect.

She saw Homura Akemi, clad in what could only be described as a monochrome magical girl costume. On her left arm was a circular shield made of metal and on on her hand was a gen the glowed a harsh purple. "This will make the fourth time I've killed you." She said coldly.

She grew wide eyed at the statement. An urge to save the small creature seemed to well up inside the bluenette. Her mind was racing, thinking of a way to prevent the transfer student from taking the thing's life. Her eye's fell upon a fire extinguisher.

The raven-haired girl had the glowing gem pointed at the creature, cocked and loaded, so to speak. Right before she pulled the metaphorical trigger, a stream of cold air blasted her side, causing her to stumble.

Homura was dazed. Sayaka took that opportunity to grab the animal and run as fast as her legs could take her. Little did she know that the girl she blasted had anticipated her doing exactly that. Once the bluenette had ran out of view, Homura dispersed the cloud of carbondioxide around her and walked, strangely enough, in the opposite direction.

**MADOKA MAGICA**

Sayaka dashed for the exit but somehow slammed into Madoka halfway there. The two ended up bruised on the floor.

"Uuhf... Madoka? What are you doing here?" Sayaka asked while she rubbed her head with her free hand, finally noticing who she knocked to the ground. "You okay?"

"I think I'm okay..." Madoka, sprawled on the floor, struggled to get up. "and I should be the one asking you that. I thought you were going back to the cafe." She scolded.

"Yeah... about that..." She helped the pinkette up. "You see this little guy? I think he's magic. He can speak though your mind and that transfer chick she'd killed him multiple times"

Madoka eyed the animal in the bluenette's arms. "Sayaka, what is that thing...?"

"This thing is a magical creature. It HAS to be. That transfer student – the chick with the black hair and glasses – She was wearing this magical girl outfit and had this weird shield. She was talking to this thing like it could understand Japanese."

"I don't know..."

"_Make a wish..._" a voice resonated in the heads of the two school girls. "_Become a magical girl... save me..._"

At that exact moment, the world around them turned topsy-turvy, surreal looking flowers began sprouting everywhere. Several puff balls with legs began converging upon them from all around, thorns and scissors sticking out of them like appendages. Their faces were nightmare fuel, looking like crudely drawn attempts at realistic mouths and eyes. As they approached, they waved their scissors around, causing the sound of grass clippers to resound thoughout the dreamscape.

"Sayaka, what going on..." Madoka asked, clearly afraid.

Sayaka did know the answer... and for some reason... she didn't want one.

**MADOKA MAGICA**

_Kyubey had, indeed, planted a grief seed to lure an unsuspecting contractee into danger. What he did NOT do, however was call out to Madoka Kaname. No. Instead, Sayaka Miki is his primary target in this timeline._

_Should I attempt to prevent her from contacting? Will it even matter? As far as I can tell she is doomed to become a witch regardless of what she wishes for..._

_If I'm to defeat Walpurgisnacht, I may need her help..._

_Perhaps I should see what I can do to prevent her mental state from degrading. The rest would be up to Mami._

**MADOKA MAGICA**

**That was chapter 4. Tell me what you think in a review... or not...**


	5. Rescue

**Sorry it took so long to update. Here's the next chapter, focusing on Mami.**

**Enjoy what you can, and for what you can't enjoy, I'm deeply sorry.**

**MADOKA MAGICA**

_Mami Tomoe had always been adept at facing against witches. She was confident in her ability to defeat them, but she never underestimated them. She always knew when they were above her power to destroy._

_But she always felt alone. No matter how good she was, Mami Tomoe remained lonely in her life as a magical girl._

_I understand, though._

_What she's experienced would leave anyone yearning for someone to be with. A friend, a rival, an equal – anyone to bring her out of the darkness in her life._

_Which is why she's taken to recruiting others to become magical girls. Perhaps she saw them as potential allies but none of them ever remained with her long enough. Besides, for one reason or another, not one of Mami's recruits survived._

_Yet she still continued recruiting_

_When I told her what she had been doing – what the truth of becoming a magical girl was – she was devastated. She found out what she had gotten those girls into and it broke her._

_Granted, I didn't tell tell her the whole truth. No need to mentally scar her even further..._

**MADOKA MAGICA**

Mami Tomoe stood at the roof of Mitakihara middle school that afternoon with a frown on her face. The sun on that cloudless day bore down on her, leaving her face cast in shadow. Opposite her was the small white creature, known only as Kyubey. His fur, despite being the purest possible white reflected no light, leaving him to look dark in comparison.

"_I am her__e__, Mami Tomoe. What did you wish to discuss?_"

Mami looked at the creature angrily. "Why didn't you tell me?" She held up her hand and materialized her soul gem. The jewel's golden glow was dim in the blistering sun light. "Why didn't you tell me you tear out our souls and put them in our gems?"

"_Who told you that?"_

"Answer me, Kyubey"

"_It was not necessary for you to know that information. __It would have been a distraction from your goal of defeating witches._" Kyubey replied simply "_Besides. What difference would it make if I __HAD__ told you?_"

"What difference?" The blond said in outrage. Her voice, was loud and clear, despite not yelling. "You LIED TO ME, Kyubey. I did not ask my soul to be ripped out of me and put into a crystal egg."

_"That doesn't answer my question."_ The creature said, seeming almost annoyed. _"The action of removing your souls was part of our contract. For you to become a magical girl and access your powers, your soul gem must be created._" The creature explained

"WHY"

"Y_our potential for magic is in your soul itself. Only when the soul is not tethered to the body does it become possible to use your powers_." Kyubey told her. "_It also serves as a way to protect magical girls from being killed by witches_"

"What are you talking about"

"_Have you ever wondered how you could be stabbed in the chest __by a witch__ yet continue to fight on despite having a pierced lung and several broken ribs? A normal person would pass out from the pain alone but you and all other magical girls like you can get back up and continue the battle._" Kyubey began walking towards the blond, causing her to step back on reflex. "_The soul gem is a sort of buffer. Not only does it allow for your body to use a hundred percent of its muscle power and increase your brains perception capacity, it also dampens all of the pain you feel to tolerable levels, __making any injury manageable__. __Even you loose all of the blood in your body or if you get your head __bitten__ off, your magic can just fix everything and you can get back in the fight._"

The gunner stood there, teeth clenched in frustration. What Kyubey said was logical. In fact, Mami was impressed with how the problem was dealt with despite being a victim of the apparent solution.

"It doesn't change the fact that I'm a walking corpse now. This body... this isn't even mine anymore." She squeezed the gem in her hand. She held it out towards the creature. "THIS is my body now. WHO GAVE YOU THE RIGHT TO DO THIS?"

"_You did._" Kyubey stated. "_You gladly accepted my offer of a wish in exchange for a life as a magical girl. __You traded y__our soul for a miracle._"

"You're a monster!"

"_If that is what you think, then so be it._" With that, Kyubey walked into the shadows and disappeared, leaving Mami in the blinding rays of the sun.

The blond fell to her knees. _And I'm a monster too... Those girls... I did that to them... I convinced them __to become magical girls __because I was lonely... because I was selfish... __I'm a monster __too__..._ She could feel her soul gem darkening in her clenched fist but she didn't care.

"_Mami Tomoe, get a grip_"

A familiar voice resonated in her head.

"_You are very proud to think that you are the sole reason those girls contracted. All of them had wishes they yearned to be granted. If they didn't want to become a magical girl in the first place, then they would never have contracted. __Stop letting your emotions get the better of you and THINK_"

Mami almost smiled. _Homura Akemi... __She's the reason all of this happened. __If she never told me the truth,__ I wouldn't be an emotional wreck right now..._ _Then again, in a way, she's taking responsibility._

Her soul gem began to clear up once more. "_Very well, Ms. Akemi. I believe I still owe you. I'd rather not kill myself before I settle that debt._"

"_You'll do more than kill yourself if you let your gem darken. Make sure it doesn't happen again._"

With that, the connection was severed and Mami collapsed onto the floor.

**MADOKA MAGICA**

The Mitakihara Mall lied in the heart of the city and many places of note (a supermarket, a hospital, the local high school and middle school, etc) were mere ten minute walks from the center.

That said, it wasn't very surprising to Mami when she found the place fairly busy despite it being a Monday. In fact, she'd find it more surprising is there were FEWER people there during a school day.

She sat at a small tea shop on the ground floor. The shop was small and cozy, with only a few people ever entering – Mami being one of them. It was a miracle the place could afford to stay open.

As the blond sipped her tea, she scanned the area for a certain Madoka Kaname, a girl with pink hair whom the other magical girl, Homura Akemi had described. She was to find her wandering the mall in the direction of the construction site. So far there was nothi-

_There_. Walking cautiously behind a blue haired girl, was one with pink hair. They seemed to have the same uniforms as she had.

_So they're from Mitakihara Middle School too... __First years...? S__econd years?_

Mami watched the blue haired one enter the construction area. The pinkette seemed to hesitate in following her but after a few minutes, she entered as well.

_Mami Tomoe, there has been a change of plans. Kyubey has switched targets. He's made contact with Sayaka Miki and they're about to enter a barrier. Get in there now!_

The blond sighed. She had hoped to prevent any of them to get mixed up in all of this but it seems she was too late. Mami stood. _Time to get to work._

**MADOKA MAGICA**

Witch's labyrinths have always fascinated the blond. Call it a morbid fascination but there's no denying the wonder of these dreamscapes. They may lose their novelty after a few battles and their surprise factor starts to fade, but they remain interesting, nonetheless.

The particular barrier Mami had entered could be summarized in one phrase: 'construction site flower garden from hell'.

Most of the walls matched the design of the rest of mall, it's just the they were several meters taller than the building would allow and were covered with technicolor vines and bushes. The ceiling was now a dome, with the hanging industrial lights changed to become elaborate chandeliers – also covered with colorful vegetation. Strewn across the floor were several I-beams and rebar, along with what looked like blocks of solid concrete.

The gunner shook her head. She had no time to be admiring the scenery. She had to rescue the two girls.

_There._ Within a throng of puffballs with butterfly wings for legs, two middle school girls clung to each other in fear.

_Those familiars will tear them apart. _Mami realized.

With a greater sense of urgency, she rushed in with ribbons in hand. With a mid air twirl, she jumped into the crowd, pushing the creatures away from her objective with a spiral of fabric.

"That was close." She sighed.

"W-who are you?"

Mami looked at the two. They were still in a panic, but it seemed that the blue haired one was the calmer of the two. She held onto Kyubey tightly.

"My name's Mami Tomoe. I-" The sound of snipping cut her off. The familiars returned. "This introduction might have to wait. Let me take care of this"

She pushed the two back and summoned a hundred muskets at once. It was overkill – probably not worth the drain on her soul gem – but she needed to take out the familiars quickly. Besides, it's better safe than sorry.

The muskets went off, one after another. Magic bullets sprayed all over the battlefield, causing mini-explosions with every impact. It didn't take long for the familiars to become nothing more black sludge on the floor.

Mami looked at the two and smiled. "We're safe now"

Suddenly, a massive boom resonated the labyrinth, followed by a small tremor. The dreamscape slowly faded away shortly after, leaving the three back in the empty construction site.

The blond blinked. "We're even safer now, I guess." _She defeated the witch? Already? She works fast... _"As I said before, I'm Mami Tomoe. Nice to meet you"

"S-sayaka. I'm Sayaka Miki. She's Madoka Kaname" The bluenette said, still somewhat shaken. "W-what WERE those things?"

"I guess I have a lot to explain..." The gunner sighed. She looked at Sayaka once again and her face grew stern. "May I please talk to Kyubey first?"

"Kyubey?"

"The creature you're holding" She clarified, holding out her arms gesturing for the girl to hand over the animal.

Upon receiving Kyubey, Mami dropped him onto the floor and blasted its head off.

"What the hell are you doing!" Sayaka yelled in outrage

"That creature isn't as innocent as you think it is." Mami said sternly. "Did he ever ask you to make a contract with him? Did he ask you to become a magical girl?"

"Contract...?" Sayaka said, taken aback. "Well... he did... sorta..." Scratching her head, she continued. "I sorta saved him for this other girl in cosplay. While I was running away from her, this guy suddenly started talking. Something about becoming a magical girl. What was that about, anyway?"

Mami grit her teeth. "_Ms Akemi. They __know. This wasn't part of the plan."_

"_Don't worry. At this point, ignorance will no longer be protection. Inform them of the world of magical girls. Bring them to your apartment."_

"_Are you sure...? __Wait, my apartment...?__"_

When the raven haired magical girl didn't respond, Mami frowned. She looked at the two in front of her.

"Come with me. I will explain everything."

**MADOKA MAGICA**

_Humans who are brought into a witch's labyrinth will have no idea they ever entered it. If they happen to be saved by a magical girl, they will believe that what they had witnessed was nothing more than a nightmare – a bad dream – in other words, not real._

_It is different when those who walk into a barrier happen to have the potential to become a magical girl. Provided they survive the encounter, they will remember everything in unfortunately vivid detail._

_This is the very reason I wished for Madoka Kaname and Sayaka Miki to not encounter the creature called Kyubey at all. If I had kept them completely ignorant, they would have little to no incentive to enter a contract with him._

_However, with their partial knowledge, keeping information from them will only worsen the situation. They must know everything and I must make sure the Mami Tomoe does not find out what I did not tell her... for all our sakes...  
_

**MADOKA MAGICA**

**So how was it? Tell me what you think in a review.**

**It might take a while for the next chapter though...**


	6. Complications

**Here's a really short chapter. It's another Homura chapter.**

**MADOKA MAGICA**

_Earlier today, Madoka Kaname and Sayaka Miki were exposed to the world of magical girls. I deemed it necessary to tell these girls the truth - the whole truth. This includes telling them what I did not tell Mami Tomoe._

_This presents a problem: How will I keep that information from Mami? If I tell them, there is a chance she might find out. I am not completely sure if they will keep their mouths shut on the matter and it's not out of the question that Mami might eavesdrop on us if I choose an incorrect place and time in which to tell them._

_More complications. Just what I needed... I'll need to think hard on this..._

**MADOKA MAGICA**

Homura stood in an empty room, examining the clear glass coffee table on the plain grey carpet on the floor and the white paint on the undecorated walls.

_Mami Tomoe's Apartment has always been puzzling._ She thought in contemplation. _There are time lines in which the walls are decorated and the room is filled with furniture. In others, it's as empty as it is now. Why is that?_ She wondered. _I'd try and find out but I have more pressing matters to address... speaking of which._

Her examination of the room and inner musings were interrupted when she felt the presence of a magical girl enter her detection range. Homura knew who it was. Mami and company had arrived.

When the door was unlocked and opened, Homura greeted the person on the otherside. "Good afternoon, Mami Tomoe. I apologize for letting myself in."

"Ms. Akemi... I..." Mami blinked. She did not expect the raven haired girl to be at her home. "...It's... it's fine" She said, rubbing her temples. How did she get in, she wondered.

A certain bluenette elbowed her way into the room. "Hey Mami, who's in there-" When Sayaka Miku saw Homura's face, she immediately put up her guard. "Transfer student! What are you doing here!?"

Homura stared at the the girl glaring at her. "Sayaka Miki." It was a simple statement with no intent behind it but she could almost see the chill run up the bluenette's spine. The time traveler would have smiled had the situation allowed it.

Then, from behind Sayaka, a certain pink haired girl peeked her head out. "H-homura?" She said meekly.

"Madoka Kaname..." The girl's eyes seemed to send pain into Homura's heart the longer she stared.

"Homura, are you-"

Tearing her gaze away, the raven haired girl offered them a seat. "I suggest you two sit down" She said, cutting Madoka off. "We have a lot to talk about..."

**MADOKA MAGICA**

Back at her house, Homura was keeping busy. In the past few hours, she had made over a hundred pipe bombs and several more home-made explosives.

Even after years worth of practice in their creation, supplying herself with ammunition had become no less tedious. The only reason she was even making pipe bombs in the first place was because if she were to steal any more explosives from the nearby military base, they'd start heavy fortifications and patrols around the city. In previous timelines, they had proven quite the nuisance to her.

Thus, she decided to keep her military arsenal in reserve for when she really needed it and, instead, armed herself with slightly less conventional weapons - some of which stolen from other sources while others made by herself.

Besides, she was so used to making explosives that it was second nature to her. This allowed her to let her mind wander as she worked, though wander might not be the correct word. She was analyzing her situation, planning her next move.

_Their reaction to the truth is troubling._ She thought with a scowl. _If memory serves me right, it was no different to their reactions to the information without the detail about the nature of soul gems. They accepted it as fact and did not question it..._

_It seems my efforts are for nothing. Learning what Mami knows about the nature of magical girls had no effect on their willingness to contract._ The raven haired girl noted._ I must tell them the rest - the origin of witches and the true intentions of creatures like Kyubey. I must tell them and I must tell them soon..._

_But when...? When and where...?_

**MADOKA MAGICA**

**Short, right? Less than a thousand words. Sorry about that. My computer has been out of commission for a week so I had to make do with using the computers at my school library and internet cafes. On the bright side, this story has finally gone over 10k words. Yay.**

**The next chapter should get here soon.**


	7. Subvertion

**Well this was a very quick update...  
Madoka finally gets her own chapter. Here you guys have it.**

**MADOKA MAGICA**

_Today is the day that Mami Tomoe dies... That's a bit inaccurate... Today is the day she will encounter the witch of sweets, and she is likely to be killed in that encounter._

_In every time line she faces the witch of sweets on this day I have watched her fall. Granted, there are iterations in which she survives but they are few and far between. There are too many variables to ensure she survives the battle._

_Which is why I will silence the witch before she arrives. In previous time lines, that action achieved the highest rate of success, though there are times in which that tactic still failed._

_Still, I have the best chances by doing this..._

**MADOKA MAGICA**

Sterile air assaulted Madoka Kaname's nose as she sat in the uncomfortable hospital waiting room chair.

She had accompanied Sayaka Miki on her visit to her childhood friend and long time crush, Kyousuke Kamijou.

He got into an accident and injured his left arm. Ever since then, Sayaka had been visiting the boy at Mitakihara General Hospital. She would sometimes ask Madoka to go with her on these visits. She would always say yes.

So the pinkette sat, waiting for the smitten girl who was her friend to return from her crush's room. She didn't wait long. A blue head of hair emerged from the stream of people entering and exiting the waiting room. It was Sayaka, looking notably glum.

"Sayaka, you're back... So soon?" Madoka commented. The bluenette had only been gone for five minutes, Usually her visits lasted closer to fifteen minutes. Added to the fact that she was obviously upset, something must have happened.

"He's being tested on today" Sayaka sighed. "I'm not allowed to see him"

Madoka didn't like seeing her best friend so down. In an attempt to cheer her up, the pinkette smiled encouragingly. "Hey. Maybe these tests mean that, sometime soon, you won't have to visit him at this hospital anymore."

"It would take a miracle for that to happen" Sayaka smiled sadly. "A miracle... or a tragedy..."

An image of Sayaka crying over a grave marked with Kyousuke's name flashed upon Madoka's mind. "No" She said, shaking her head. "No, don't think that way. Miracles exist. We have first hand proof of that. Look on the bright side, Sayaka"

The bluenette nodded. With a deep sigh, her smile grew happier. "You're right. Think positive." She began walking towards the exit. "C'mon, let's go."

Madoka smiled. She was happy that she managed to cheer her up. "Okay." She moved to follow her out

**MADOKA MAGICA**

"Transfer student..."

Not far from the hospital entrance, Sayaka had stopped dead in her tracks, causing Madoka to bump into her. This prompted her to ask why she'd stop. She got her answer as soon as she uttered the question.

Right in front of them stood the mysterious transfer studen, Homura Akemi. The girl with what was, in Madoka's opinion, the most beautiful hair in the school, the girl whose cold gaze cut like a knife, the girl whose eyes shone in purple light, yet held such dark sadness that mesmerized Madoka.

However, those said eyes were looking at something else. The pinkette followed that gaze to the grief seed embedded into the hospital wall - a black sphere that seemed to absorb any light that touched it was driven through the concrete by the needle that pierced through it's center. The darkness that surrounded it seemed to be spreading.

"That... That's..." Sayaka's words were caught in her throat. She couldn't finish what she was going to say but she didn't need to. They all knew.

"A grief seed, yes. A witch will manifest itself in this area" Homura stated. "I suggest you two get as far away from here as possible."

"Here... of all places..." The bluenette's voice was shaky. Her face was anxious and desperate. "Akemi... Promise me... promise... me..."

"Rest assured, this witch will not harm the Kamijou boy nor any of the other people in this area." The raven haired girl's confidence was impressive. "I will slay it. There will be no collateral damage" Her conviction made it sound like it wasn't a promise. No. It was a statement of fact.

Sayaka said nothing and simply walked forward. She passed the magical girl and didn't look back.

Madoka moved to follow but just as she passed Homura, she turned back to face her.

"Good luck, Homura."

It was meant as encouragement but upon hearing the pinkette's words, an aura of anguish seemed to radiate from the raven haired girl. Madoka was taken aback by the emotions she sensed under the girl's stoic expression.

Suppressing her worry, the pinkette nodded and walked away. She knew fretting over Homura wouldn't help. She doubted if her attempts of encouragement even made a difference.

Then, as she walked away, she heard the stoic's response. It was barely a whisper.

"Thank you..."

She felt genuine gratitude from the girl. It was forced - pained, even - but it was gratitude all the same. Madoka smiled as she left her.

**MADOKA MAGICA**

By the time Madoka had caught up to Sayaka, they were already ways away from the hospital.

"Do you think Akemi will be able to kill it...?" Sayaka asked, keeping her head down.

"I don't know" Madoka said bluntly. "We've only ever seen Mami in action. She DID say Homura was just capable and experienced as she was, if not more." She added

The bluenette nodded. "Yeah, Mami seems to trust her..." Her brow furrowed. "Why, though? What could she have done to get Mami to trust her? I mean, they don't seem to have known each other for that long, so..."

She suddenly stopped walking. When Madoka realized she had passed her friend, she stopped as well and turned around to face her.

"I just noticed..." Sayaka began, a look of realization on her face. "Niether of them seem fond of Kyubey." She noted. "He's a bit creepy, but I can't think of a reason to hate him. Why do they?"

"It's simple, Sayaka Miki"

The girls jumped. From behind Madoka was the white creature known as Kyubey. It's face was just as they remembered it - wide eyed and completely emotionless.

"Good afternoon, Madoka Kaname and Sayaka Miki" The creature greeted. It walked forward and jumped onto the shoulder of the closest girl to it, Madoka. "As I was saying, the reason they hate me is simple..." It continued. "The knowledge you received in regards to the nature of magical girls is much more extensive than what they received before they contracted. There are pieces of information that was not told to them."

"Like what...?" Sayaka sounded apprehensive about finding out. Madoka was likewise unsure on whether or not she wanted to know.

"The creation of soul gems." Kyubey answered. "The process in which their souls are taken from them and turned into jewels were not told to them."

Sayaka frowned. "You don't tell them about that?" She asked angrily. "Well, not wonder they hate you. Only an asshole would do something like that!"

The creature tilted its head "I do not see how a part of the human digestive track could withhold information..." It stated in confusion. "... Oh, I see. You were insulting me."

Both Madoka and Sayaka sweat dropped. Neither of them expected that reaction from what the bluenette said.

"Y-yeah... I was insulting you..." Sayaka repeated awkwardly. She sighed and started walking again. "So, why DIDN'T you tell them, anyway?"

Madoka began walking as well. Once the two were side by side, Kyubey jumped over to the shoulder of the other girl.

"Beforehand knowledge of the price of becoming a magical girl has lead to... difficulty in contracting many potential magical girls." The animal said. "I have since learned not to inform them of the less favorable details."

Sayaka's scowl grew sourer. "If they wanted a miracle, I'm sure they'd give anything for that to happen, even their soul." She argued. "You should tell them"

"Your assumptions on what these potential contractors will do is more likely than mine as you are human and I am not." Kyubey stated. "However, years upon years of observation have made it quite clear to me and others of my kind that many of these potential magical girls believe that their soul is worth more than the miracle they are exchanging it for and will not contract when they have prior knowledge of the exchange."

"But still, keeping the truth from them..."

"I am simply doing the task that I was assigned to do. I do not make the rules, I only follow them." The creature said with finality.

And so ended their conversation. Sayaka still had more she wanted to say but she didn't feel like it would make a difference. Madoka felt sorry for her. She knew the bluenette had a wish and was struggling to come to terms with it. Still, she said nothing on the matter.

The three continued walking in silence.

**MADOKA MAGICA**

"Hey... Sayaka" Madoka said nervously. "Don't you think we've been walking in a straight line for a long time?"

Sayaka blinked. "You're right. We should have reached the station by now..."

"Oh dear..." Kyubey said. "It seems we have walked into a witch's labyrinth."

At that exact moment, the empty street they were walking through for the past fifteen minutes turned topsy turvy

The dreamscape was a dark cavern with a faint ambient glow of orange. There was no floor. Instead, an endless abyss of darkness spanned below them. Rising from the depths of the abyss were giant pillars in the shape of knitting needles. Pairs of cables running parallel to each other connected these pillars. A strange fabric was weaved between these cables, making a bridge between every pillar. The three of them were standing on one such bridge.

"Oh no..." Sayaka breathed. "We're dead..." she lamented

Kyubey, however. "Do not fear, Sayaka Miki. It seems this witch is occupied at the moment. All of its familiars are either dead or busy fighting a magical girl" It closed its eyes for a moment before opening them again. "The magical girl appears to be Mami Tomoe."

"Mami's here?" Madoka asked hopefully

"Apparently. Shall we go to her?"

The two nodded. Kyubey jumped off of Sayaka's shoulder and began leading them to the yellow clad magical girl.

**MADOKA MAGICA**

_No..._

**MADOKA MAGICA**

**I hope you enjoyed. It seems I've got a lot of inspiration for this story lately so expect another chapter soon. If it doesn't come out soon, well, that just means that inspiration probably got lost again.**


	8. Unchanged

**So, here's an action packed chapter in the POV of Sayaka. It's actually pretty short, though. I apologize for that.**

**MADOKA MAGICA**

_The witch of thread and needles. Another one that Mami Tomoe is not prepared to face alone. Perhaps its because the witch interferes with her ribbon powers. Either way, it is likely she will not survive the encounter._

_I must finish off this sweets witch as soon as possible..._

**MADOKA MAGICA**

The witch's chamber was as cavernous as the rest of labyrinth. There were noticeably more knitting needle spires rising from the abyss. A web of thread and cables criss-crossed between them, creating a sort of floor - albeit a floor full of gaps where the thread did not cross.

In the middle, Mami was battling the witch, a spool of yarn the size of a large refrigerator. three foot needles orbited around it, lines of thread trailing behind. The creature made no sound, but was obviously enraged as thread was whipped at and needles sent flying towards the blond.

Mami, true to form, was defending herself with skill, using her own ribbons to redirect the attacks, countering with a dozen simultaneous musket blasts. When she noticed that her two magical girl trainees were in the chamber witch, however, she faltered.

A length of the witch's thread made a low sweeping motion, knocking the blond down. After which, several needles lunged forward, eager to embed themselves into the girl's flesh.

Thinking fast, Mami rolled away and used her ribbons to spring her back to her feet. Her recovery, however, was short lived, as immediately after she stood, her legs were pulled from under her by two lines of thread. She found herself upside down, hanging by the ankles.

Mami rocked from side to side, dodging the needles that came flying her way. She materialized several muskets and blasted everything within a small radius of her, including the thread keeping her hanging. She fell back down.

Now on the ground, she summoned two muskets in her hands and pointed at the witch. From within her sleeves, ribbons began covering the two guns. There was a flash. Suddenly, a crank-powered gatling gun was floating in front of her. It didn't seem like it was of modern design. There were gears and belts visible in the mechanism. And magic runes were etched all over the six barrels.

She wanted to take care of it quickly.

Mami began turning the crank. The barrels started spinning. Faster and fast, it went - soon the six barrels blurred into one. "Tiro..." A hum of energy began to resonate from the weapon. "FINALE!" The gun fired a constant stream of magic bullets, sounding more like a metal saw than a machine gun with how fast its rate of fire was.

And just like the sound it was making, the attack sawed through the witch as the blond redirected the stream from up and down and all around. The spool of yarn was torn apart by the endless barrage. It didn't take long for it to become nothing more than a pile of tangled thread.

The gatling gun dematerialized and Mami gave a sigh of relief. She looked at the two girls standing at the entrance of the chamber and smiled.

Sayaka and Madoka stood there, in awe of what they just saw.

"Wow... Mami's amazing isn't she" Sayaka breathed.

The yellow clad magical girl's recent battle had been much more intense than the other battles they had witnessed. Sayaka, at that point in time, knew the girl couldn't be defeated. She just knew it.

If only that were true...

**MADOKA MAGICA**

The bluenette was just about to run to the middle of the chamber to talk to her when, right in front of her, the very same witch Mami had destroyed suddenly dropped down from the ceiling. Sayaka stumbled back and looked the the creature, wide eyed in panic.

Mami was likewise put into an unfavorable situation. Over a dozen of those very same witches had surrounded her, sharpening their needles as if in anticipation of the battle they'd be facing. The blond's face was uncertain but determined. She materialized a dozen muskets and sprang back into action.

_These aren't witches. These are familiars..._ Sayaka thought as she crawled away from the advancing spool of yarn. _What am I going to do!?_

_Make a wish, Sayaka._ she heard. _Go into a contract with me and become a magical girl._

_You want me to sell my soul to you RIGHT NOW!?_

_It's that or allow yourself to be killed._ The incubator said simply.

The familiar didn't seem to be in a hurry. It sent needles flying her way but deliberately overshot, causing the girl to scamper away from the wayward projectile. _It's toying with me._ Sayaka realized.

She felt a tug on her sleeve. Madoka was frantically trying to get her to stand up. "Hurry, Sayaka. We need to- Ah"

The familiar lashed at the pinkette, hitting her shoulder and knocking her to the side. The needles changed targets and began darting towards Madoka, except this time, it was not playing around. _No..._

Sayaka stood and tackled the familiar, knocking it back somewhat. The needles stopped midway. The creature seemed extremely annoyed by the bluenette's actions. The deadly points began surounding the bluenette.

Sayaka smiled. _I guess that was a stupid move..._

Suddenly the spool of yarn became covered in ribbons and was squeezed into nothingness. Across the chamber, Mami had a musket aimed towards them, barrel smoking.

_She saved me again._ Sayaka realized, both guilt and gratitude growing in her chest.

Suddenly several dozen needles stabbed the blond from behind. Blood dripped from the tips protruding from the other side of her body. Nearly a dozen more came flying in from multiple directions to pierce her as well. She was a human pin cushion at that point.

Sayaka's heart sank._ No... No... NO!_

Sayaka started glowing. Soon blue light enveloped the entire chamber.

**MADOKA MAGICA**

_I was too late..._

**MADOKA MAGICA**

**See? Short right? Well, for what you enjoyed, you're welcome, and for what you didn't enjoy, I am sorry. Expect another chapter soon - and by soon, I mean anywhere between two days and two weeks.**


	9. Fencer

**Looks like soon meant two days. Another Sayaka chapter guys. A little change is that the opening section isn't a monolgue by Homura and is, instead, Sayaka's.**

**MADOKA MAGICA**

_Mami's dead. She saved me but now she's dead... I MIGHT AS WELL HAVE KILLED HER...!_

_When I saw those needles I just... I was the reason those things hit her. If she wasn't trying to protect me, she would have been able to survive. I was a burden..._

_I wanted to help. I wish I could have helped. I wish..._

**MADOKA MAGICA**

A streak of blue crossed the chamber, into the crowd of yarn spools. The familiars were thrown into disarray as a now-magically clad Sayaka Miki stood in the middle of them, cape billowed in the wind caused by her speedy entry.

The cutlass in her hands gleamed as she readied for a strike. She looked around and took in the picture before her. There were six familiars within ten feet of her. Going on impulse, she charged, cutting down every enemy in her path. In less than a second, six became zero.

"Get away from her!" She surged toward the spools surrounding Mami's corpse, driving them away. "Get away, you monsters!"

The bluenette looked at the bloodied remains of the yellow clad magical girl and guilt welled up inside her. _I said I wanted to help, but how can I do that now?_ She tore her gaze away and continued her attack on the familiars.

**MADOKA MAGICA**

_These things are smarter than they look_

The spools of yarn had surrounded Sayaka, trapping her in a large cage of magic thread. She couldn't get near the walls to cut the thread. The familiars kept taking pot shots at her. The fencer managed to survive the constant barrage of projectiles, weaving around the needles and parrying the ones she couldn't dodge.

But she didn't last for long, though. In a split second, Sayaka saw she had reached the end of her rope. There were needles incoming from every direction. She couldn't find a suitable path of escape. She was done for

She blinked and suddenly found herself on the floor outside the horde of familiars.

"Transfer student..." Sayaka breathed.

Homura Akemi stood before her, a molotov in her hands. She lit the cloth on the end of the bottle with a spark of magic and threw it at the familiars. As the flaming beer bottle arched towards its target, the bluenette realized that a sizable number of gasoline canisters and propane tanks were littered around them. When the bottle of flaming alcohol broke, the several containers of flammable substances all caught fire, causing a huge fiery explosion.

"They're dead but more will take their place" Homura said gravely. "We need to take care of the witch." She looked calmly at Sayaka and ordered. "Look up."

"... What...?" The bluenette turned her gaze to the ceiling. Sure enough, there was something there they didn't notice. It was a giant ball of yarn, with several ten foot pins embedded into it. "That's the witch...!?" She frowned. "How am I gonna kill something that big!? All I've got are these stupid swords!"

"You cut it out of the ceiling," The raven haired girl answered. "then I'll take it from there."

"I hope you know what you're doing!" Sayaka yelled as a magic circle of music notes appeared under. With a boost from the circle, she was blasted upward at incredible speed.

"I've done this a hundred times. Of course I know what I'm doing" Homura retorted before she blinked out of existence.

**MADOKA MAGICA**

As the last thread keeping the witch on the ceiling was cut, Sayaka dived back down to the chamber floor, angling herself to land near the entrance, where Madoka was. She slowed her decent when she neared the ground, landing softly on the web of sting.

Turning around to watch the witch's fall, she saw titanic ball, a hundred meters in diameter. The size surprised the fencer. _I don't remember it being that big..._ When she was up at the ceiling, cutting the net that kept the thing on the ceiling, it was only a fraction of its current size. Despite how much bigger it looked, its impact with the chamber floor looked relatively light. It was almost as if the labyrinth transformed to cushion its inhabitant's fall. _That can't be good..._ Sayaka swallowed her fear and turned towards her pink haired best friend.

Madoka laid by the entrance, clutching her side. The familiars attack on her was stronger than bluenette first anticipated.

"Hey... How you holding up?" She asked, holding her friend's arm. The pinkette only managed a weak smile and nod. _She must have broken her ribs..._ Sayaka thought with a frown. _If I had only crawled away from that familiar faster..._

Suddenly, a circle of music notes appeared on the injured girl's chest. It blue glow steadily intensified for a few seconds before it faded entirely. After which, Madoka started coughing.

"Sayaka *cough* I think you just fixed my ribs..."

The bluenette's eyes widened. "No way..." She poked the pinkette's side. When she made a cute noise upon contact, Sayaka grinned. "Well, what do you know? I have healing magic"

"Sayaka Miki" She head a voice say. She turned to see Homura with pained expression. It was on her face for only a second before it returned to her usual impassive stare. "If you're done playing around, I suggest you brace yourself. I'm about to defeat the witch"

"What? That thing's HUGE. There's no way you can do that so fast."

The raven haired girl ran her hand through her hair. "You underestimate me" From her shield, she pulled out a remote detonator and pushed the button.

The two looked at the witch. The moment the button was pressed, it exploded. It was a single bang that caused a lot of smoke - loud, but not very flashy. After which, tremors began shaking the labyrinth and the dreamscape slowly crumbled to give way to reality.

"Demolition explosives." A razor thin smile appeared on Homura's face as she pushed her glasses up. "Used correctly, it can bring down buildings several times the size of that witch."

When the smoke cleared, the three of them found themselves on an empty side walk not far from the hospital. Homura walked forward and picked up what Sayaka assumed to be the grief seed. When she turned to face the other two, Sayaka found that she was correct, but not completely.

In Homura's hands were two things. A grief seed and, much to the surprised of both Sayaka and Madoka, Mami's soul gem.

"Sayaka Miki, Madoka Kaname. There is much I have to tell you..."

**MADOKA MAGICA**

_What was Sayaka Miki's wish? How does it relate to her healing powers and my finding of Mami Tomoe's soul gem? And to make matters worse, Kyubey is nowhere to be seen. What has he done? What is he planning...?_

_This is getting out of hand. I must regain control of the situation, and sooner rather than later..._

**MADOKA MAGICA**

**Hope you enjoyed that, and if you didn't I deeply apologize. Leave a review if you want. The next chapter will be up... someday...**


	10. Revelation

**ch3nn:  
You do understand that this isn't a shippy romance fic right? Then again, those two have a lot less strained a relationship in this fic than they did in the anime... Anyway, thanks for the reviews  
**

**All of my other reviewers:  
I'm doing my best and I'm glad that you guys like it. All of your reviews are appreciated.**

******Back to Homura this chapter. Not much happens, just a lot of exposition. Hope you enjoy it!**

**MADOKA MAGICA**

_So... Mami Tomoe is... for lack of a better word, incapacitated, Sayaka Miki is a magical girl, and I have earned the trust of both her and Madoka Kaname, at least partially. This may prove to be a good thing, if I play my cards correctly..._

_It is time for the truth to be revealed._

**MADOKA MAGICA**

Homura's apartment had never had more people in it than it did that night. In her pure white living room, there were four people to accompany the chairs and table in the middle of the room, the holographic projections floating near the walls, and the complicated looking clockwork spinning on the ceiling.

Sayaka Miki, somewhat nervous, was darting her eyes in every which way in a hope to distract herself from her own apprehension. Similarly, Madoka Kaname was anxious as well. She kept her head down, in attempt to prevent eye contact with the apartment's owner. Speaking of which, Homura Akemi sat opposite the two of them, unmoving like a statue. On the table in front of them was Mami Tomoe, or at least her soul and the yellow crystal egg that housed it.

None of them said anything. There was a tense silence for a long while before Homura broke it.

"Sayaka Miki..." The said girl flinched at the mention of her name. Homura leaned forward and put her hand on the table."... If I may ask... What was your wish?"

The Sayaka frowned. "I... I don't know..." The raven haired girl did not react and simply stared. "I'm serious. I didn't wish for anything. I just suddenly became a magical girl from out of nowhere."

_Interesting..._ "Let me rephrase the question. What were you thinking in the moment Mami 'died'?"

"I... That I was a burden..." She began "I thought I was a burden. Mami ended up like... that" She said, pointing at the soul gem on the table. "I wanted to help..."

"I see..." _Mami Tomoe had been stabbed by over twenty needles. No matter how hard her soul gem tried to fix that, she would not be able get back up and fight - she'd run out of magic long before the damage was even partially mended. She was close to dead when Sayaka Miki contracted_ "You wished to help a girl who was wounded beyond recovery? That would explain your regeneration abilities..."

"I guess..." Sayaka muttered guiltily. "Not that it helped much..."

"On the contrary, it helped quite a lot." Homura gestured toward's Mami's soul gem. "Mami Tomoe was as good as dead. Your power might not have saved her body, but you did save her spirit. Show me your soul gem"

With reluctance, the bluenette materialized it and placed it on the table. It was surprisingly dim despite being newly contracted. Both Madoka and Sayaka were surprised and deeply disturbed by this.

"Mami Tomoe's soul gem was equally dark, if not darker when we arrived here." The glasses girl stated. "You're helping her, Sayaka Miki. You're helping, but at the expense of your own soul"

"W-w-what do I do!" Sayaka asked in a panic.

"C-calm down, Sayaka." Madoka pleaded, obviously distressed as well.

"Calm down? Calm down!?" The bluenette stood. "You're not slowly getting killed by your own powers! What makes you think I CAN calm down!?"

"Sayaka Miki, listen to your friend. Her suggestion has more merit than you think." Homura ordered.

There was another tense silence. Sayaka shakily sat back down and Madoka uncomfortably shifted in her seat.

Homura looked at both of them. _Sayaka Miki is hysterical and Madoka Kaname is terrified. This situation is getting out of hand. Will they be able to take the truth if I tell them right now?_ She sighed and continued. "Everything I tell you is true, so I suggest you brace yourselves for the worst..."

The two were unsure whether they even wanted to know. They looked like they both wanted to leave and never return. Yet they stayed rooted to the spot, waiting to be told what Homura was going to say. The raven haired girl clenched her teeth and pressed on.

"First off, calm yourself, Sayaka Miki." She ordered once more. "Despite what most magical girls believe, the use of magic isn't the only way for one's soul gem to darken. The rate in which it deteriorates is directly proportional to your emotional state. Anger, fear, hopelessness. All of these will accelerate the process."

Sayaka swallowed a mouthful of air in an attempt to suppress her emotions. "I... okay..." Madoka leaned in and put a hand on her shoulder, her face with a helpful smile. Homura looked at the scene with a cold stare. There were things she wished to say but they were not important.

She continued. "There's also the matter of what happens when your soul gem darkens completely. I take it Mami Tomoe never told you what happens when that occurs?"

"I... no... not really"

"She never knew about it, which is why she had nothing to say. I, however, had the misfortune of finding out first hand..." The raven haired girl closed her eyes and sighed. "When the soul gem darkens completely, your wish will be negated. Your soul gem will become permanently tainted and darkness will begin to well up inside you. Once it reaches full capacity, you soul gem will break and you will become the very thing you are tasked to slay" She kept her eyes closed. She could only imagine look of horror on the two's face. "You will become a witch"

Sayaka broke. "I... I never asked for this... I wanted to help... I never wanted to become a witch... I DON'T WANT TO KILL ANYONE!"

"Sayaka, you're not gonna kill anyone. You're a good person. You won't turn into a witch. Just believe in yourself and you can... you can... Sayaka just..."

_Sayaka Miki is having a violent reaction to the information I gave her. At this rate, she'll become a witch, here and now. I WON'T allow that to happen. At least not while Madoka's here..._

Homura stood, walked over to Sayaka, and slapped her. "Get a grip on yourself. Your soul gem's darkening." She said coldly. "If you don't wish to become a witch, you have the means to. Control your emotions and don't let them get the better of you."

"I... I... I..."

"Are you really willing to turn while your best friend's in this room with you? Are you willing to put her in danger?"

The bluenette's breathing was quick and ragged but she forced it to slow. Her trembling slowly stopped and soon she was quietly sobbing on Madoka's shoulder. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." She repeatedly muttered.

"You did well, Sayaka Miki. Your soul gem's already becoming clearer."

"H-how do you know this..." Madoka asked, voice still shaky.

"As I said before... I had the misfortune of finding out... first hand." Homura replied. She looked away not trusting her eyes to hide the pain of remembrance. "She became a witch, right before my eyes..."

"...We're sorry..." Madoka said guiltily. "We didn't mean to bring up bad memories..."

She risked a glance at the pinkette. Horrific images flashed before her - a dead body in a flooded city; a black plume of death, ready to kill anything in its way; a darkened soul gem in the sights of her hand gun. She quickly looked away. "Don't worry about it, Madoka. It wasn't your fault..." _It was mine..._

The raven haired girl returned to her seat and waited a good while before Sayaka stopped sobbing. When the two were sufficiently calmed down, she spoke once more.

"Telling you the truth was not the only reason I brought you two here" She stated. "There is a witch that will arrive her in nearly three weeks time. It is more massive than any witch you have ever encountered and is so powerful that it doesn't need a labyrinth to mask its presence from humans." The two seemed afraid. _As well they should._ "The witch's name is Walpurgisnacht..."

**MADOKA MAGICA**

_Mami Tomoe and Sayaka Miki... And soon, Kyouko Sakura... Will the four of us be able to defeat that witch? I don't know. I won't know until it arrives and we fight it..._

_But still, there are more pressing matters at hand. The amount of magic required to restore Mami Tomoe's body will be unreasonably large. It will put a large dent in my grief seed reserves. I'll need to resupply..._

_Perhaps I can ask for the aid of Sayaka Miki in this matter. No doubt she feels responsible for Mami's... unfortunate circumstances. She can help me collect more grief seeds..._

**MADOKA MAGICA**

**We're close to reaching the halfway point guys. Ain't that great!? Hope you enjoyed that chapter. Leave a review if you want. A new chapter should be up sometime after today. How long "sometime" will be dependent on when I finish writing the said chapter.**


	11. Arrival

**And here you guys have it. The first Kyouko chapter. Enjoy, everyone!**

**MADOKA MAGICA**

_It has been a week since Mami Tomoe lost her body. In that week, Sayaka Miki has been assisting me in collecting grief seeds for the restoration of said body._

_The process of involves the soul gem building up magic to materialize a replacement body from scratch. The act of building up magic, however, darkens the gem at the same rate that the use of magic does. Thus the need for a steady supply of grief seeds._

_Progress on her restoration is slow, but its progress all the same._

_It isn't all smooth sailing, though. Sayaka Miki is a problem._

_I had spent some time training her and she is far more capable than I first assumed. The problem isn't her technical skill nor her adaptability. The problem is her mental state. I cannot allow her to patrol alone because she has no full control over her own emotions._

_I managed to convince her to bring someone with her on patrols but, unfortunately, she doesn't trust me enough to accompany her. I'm forced to let Madoka be the one who joins her._

_If she did not volunteer, I would never allow that... But I've already agreed to the terms. I must accept it. Let's just hope those two don't encounter something Sayaka Miki can't handle..._

**MADOKA MAGICA**

A girl sat at the edge of the roof, precariously leaning forward for a better view.

From the top of the tallest building in Mitakihara, a glorious view of the skyline could be seen. Despite how late it was in the night, the streets were bustling with vehicles and pedestrians. The activity from below could even be heard several hundred meters up.

Amidst the high altitude winds that blew crimson pony-tailed hair into a frenzy, the girl listened to the sound of the city.

"It's good to be back"

_"Good evening, Kyouko Sakura. What brings you to Mitakihara"_ The white creature known as Kyubey asked from behind the girl.

The red head looked back to face it. "What's it to ya?" She asked gruffly.

Kyubey padded forward and sat next to Kyouko at the edge of the roof. _"No reason. I'm just curious"_ It answered.

The she chuckled and returned to look at the city below. "I kinda wanted to see Mami again. Maybe say sorry for leaving her, ya know?" She said with a hopeful smile

Kyubey did not respond immediately. There was neutral silence for a while - silence that was neither tense nor comforting. _"That might be a problem"_ It said, finally.

The pony-tailed girl stood and faced the incubator. "And why's that?"

The creature did not turn to face Kyouko. It maintained its position overlooking the metropolis below. _"Mami Tomoe met an unfortunate accident a few days ago."_ It said _"She will not be able to entertain visitors."_

Kyouko's heart sank upon hearing that. She was almost afraid to ask. "She got taken out by a witch?"

The creature's gaze remained on the streets before them. _"That is an accurate assumption."_

"Keh. It was bound to happen someday..." Kyouko frowned, upset by the news. The girl who she had once called friend and partner... dead...? And mere days before she arrived at the city...? "Really wish I coulda seen her one last time, though..." She sighed. She knew the pain of loss well and had long gotten used to it. It may hurt now but she would get over it eventually. "But whatever. What's done is done." Her lips formed a smile. "If Mami's outta the picture, that means this city's ripe for tak-"

Kyubey cut her off. "_Unfortunately, I must shoot down your statement once again._" Kyouko frowned at the creature. "_There are already two magical girls patrolling this city. One of them is a recent contractor while the other..._" It hesitated.

Something that would give the creature pause? This was a cause for concern for the red-head. "The other...?" She asked, cautiously.

_"The other is a bit of an... irregularity._" Kyubey said "_I did not contract her and neither did anyone else of my kind. Ever since her appearance, no new information has been learned about her, aside from her apparent knack for discovering witch labyrinths before they are formed. She has proven quite the disturbance in our operation within this city._" One could almost hear annoyance in its voice.

She laughed. She knew it was wrong of her to do so, but she did. "I'm glad to see something's finally stumping you. You can't believe how annoying it is when you act all mysterious and shit." If those of Kyubey's kind are wary of this mystery girl then she should be wary as well. Had the thought of someone causing problems for the incubators not been so refreshing, she would have had a more serious reaction.

Kyouko shook her head to dispel any unwanted thoughts. She wasn't a thinker, she was a feeler. She'd decide whether or not to trust the irregularity once she met her. Instead, she thought about something else. "What about that rookie? She any good?"

"_She is capable_"

"Figures I wouldn't get a straight answer from you" She held out her hand and materialized her soul gem. A sadistic grin appeared on her face. "Look's like I gonna have to find out myself..."

**MADOKA MAGICA**

It was sunset the next day when Kyouko finally tracked down the rookie.

She sensed in the industrial sector of the city, where a lot of automated factories and fabrication facilities were. These places tended to have very little incidents involving humans so it was unlikely that a witch had taken up residence there. Kyouko had to wonder why she was patrolling the that part of town in the first place.

She found her answer when a labyrinth sucked her in.

The dreamscape was crude. Everything was the same but it looked like it was drawn by a typical five year old with crayons - all of the lines were squiggly and the coloring in most of the things around her went over the lines. Still, Kyouko had to give the witch credit. As badly drawn she thought everything was, there was still the same amount of detail put into everything when she looked close enough.

From below her vantage point, in a little alley way, there was a flash of blue. She found the rookie.

She had blue hair and a billowing cape and in her hand was a cutlass. Behind her stood a human girl with pink hair. She seemed to be cheering her on.

It was so absurd, Kyouko couldn't even laugh. _That pink haired idiot was doing a cheer leading routine in the middle of a fucking labyrinth. Does she have a death wish or something?_

"It looks like it's just a familiar. Stand back, Madoka" The bluenette has said.

It was then that Kyouko frowned. It made sense that a familiar would attempt to hide out in that area. It can build up its strength by feeding off of the few humans who were close by. Once it was strong enough, and transformed into a witch, it could move to a different part of town where it could hunt its prey more efficiently. It made sense that she'd find a familiar there. What didn't make sense was why the bluenette was hunting familiars. They didn't drop grief seeds.

Kyouko was just about to jump in and give the fencer a piece of her mind but it seems that the familiar had already been vanquished.

The blue magical girl had summoned six more cutlasses and threw them in quick succession. The familiar, a crayon drawing of a plane with its pilot's head sticking out, swerved out of the way from the sword that was planted into the wall in front of it, only to be faced with another sword to dodge. It soon found itself trapped in a circle of swords, with the only way out opening towards a charging magical girl with another sword in her hands. The blade pierced the familiar, killing it. The dreamscape faded soon after.

Kyouko was impressed. She was able to defeat it in three seconds flat. Kyubey wasn't wrong when it described her as capable. Still, the fact that it was a familiar. It annoyed Kyouko to no end. She was a rookie wasn't she? She needed to kill witches and get grief seeds, not waste her magic on small-fry familiars who weren't even CLOSE the transforming.

She couldn't hold back any longer. The red head jumped in.

**MADOKA MAGICA**

_It seems Kyouko Sakura has now in the city..._

_This is good. The next piece to my plan has arrived..._

**MADOKA MAGICA**

**Did you like that? If you didn't I apologize and I'll try to do better next time.**

**But seriously, we are just about halfway done with the story provided that I don't drag out the later half of it. I don't know with you guys but I'm excited. Expect a new chapter soon.  
**


	12. Patrol

Hey guys? Do you want some action? How about drama? A slice of comedy? Well, congratulations. This chapter has it. Enjoy another Sayaka chapter!

**MADOKA MAGICA**

_It was inevitable for Sayaka Miki to become a magical girl. Hundreds of differing timelines prove this. The time in which she contracts might differ, but the fact of the matter is: Her becoming a magical girl is one of the few constants I've seen throughout the timelines. Likewise, it was inevitable that she and Kyouko Sakura would meet on this day._

_Two of four inevitable events had taken place in this timeline. Despite my efforts, it seems those two events are set in stone. I can only hope that the other two are not. I hope that it is possible to prevent the other two and I hope that my actions in this timeline are what will make that possible._

_Hope... I cannot reset anymore. No. I MUST NOT reset anymore... Hope is all I have left..._

**MADOKA MAGICA**

The light of the sunset filtered through the curtained windows, bathing the white hospital room with glorious orange light. On the bed was a boy with grey hair, hooked up to an IV. By his side was a girl with blue hair, holding the boy's hand.

"I'm sorry Kyousuke..." The girl said

The boy, Kyousuke, was crying. He held his left hand up to his face as tears streamed from his eyes. "They said my hand will never be able to play violin again..." He sobbed. "My whole life, that had been the one thing I strove to do... And now... Now it's gone..."

Sayaka couldn't hold her own tears for much longer. Seeing her childhood friend and long time crush so down sent pain aching through her heart. But what could she do? She had healing magic but, by all accounts, Kyousuke's hand was already healed. Even still, he couldn't move it with the same dexterity he used to have. She could mend what was broken but she couldn't bring back what was already lost.

"I wish I could do something... I do... I really do..." And so, Sayaka did the only the she could. Her held the boys right hand and cried with him. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

"W-why are you crying too?" Kyousuke asked in between sobs. "It's not... it... isn't your fault..."

"I... I want to help but... I want to help... I... but I can't..." At that point, the bluenette was bawling. "I'm just so useless... all I can do is sit here... and... and watch you suffer..."

The boy rubbed the tears from her eyes. "You want to help... if you... If you want to help... then... then leave..." He said shakily.

Sayaka was taken aback. "W-what...? W-why...?"

"L-leave" He repeated. "I... I need some time alone..." He whispered. Then he added. "Please..."

Sayaka swallowed the words she was about to say and simply nodded. She stood and left the room, closing the door behind her. Once it was shut, Sayaka leaned on the wall and slid to the floor, shaking from her suppressed sobs. She stayed like that until a passing nurse asked her what's wrong. With a smile, she answered "nothing's wrong" before standing up and walking away. Even then, the tears were still flowing down her cheeks.

**MADOKA MAGICA**

The witch's labyrinth was a surreal merry-go-round of tv screens, all of which depicting various unspeakable horrors. Faceless angel puppets flew around, charging into whatever was in their way. You could say it was ironic when a a razor sharp blur charged into them with a streak of blue trailing behind it. They were torn apart in an instant.

Sayaka slashed, cutting another familiar in half. She immediately dashed to the side to stab at another familiar right next to it. Using her momentum from the attack, she bounced off of the now dead angel puppet towards another one. She flew from one familiar to another, killing them the moment she got there. It wasn't long before the majority of the familiars had been killed or driven away.

The moment's reprieve allowed the bluenette to check on her accompanying friend, Madoka. Said friend was floating at the edge of the battle field. She was unharmed and Sayaka was thankful for that. With a sigh, she began looking around for the witch

Unlike the previous labyrinths she had entered, there were no rooms or corridors. Instead, there was one big space with a lot of debris floating around, with much of the said debris being clusters of CRT monitors. Despite the lack of walls or similar obstructions, finding the witch was a lot more complicated than it had to be.

Due to the nature of the labyrinth, up and down didn't exist. There was no gravity. Thankfully, Sayaka was fully capable movement while in the air. Not so much with Madoka who just helplessly floated around. She flew to her human companion and wrapped an arm around her waist, intending to carry her as she searched for the witch.

_"Sayaka Miki, Madoka Kaname"_ They received Homura's telepathic broadcast. After which, they heard gun fire.

"Looks like she found the witch" Sayaka said with a smile. She began her hold on Madoka so she was riding, piggy back. "Hold on"

Madoka went wide eyed. "Wait, Sayaka don-" Sayaka kicked off of a circle of music notes and boosted towards the sound automatic firearms. Madoka clung for dear life. "Hyaaaaaaa! Nooooo! Stoooop!"

**MADOKA MAGICA**

As the witch labyrinth faded away, Homura stepped forward and handed Sayaka the newly acquired grief seed. "That's seven witches killed today. That will be all for tonight."

"Uh... Thanks..." She accepted the grief seed and pocketed it.

The bluenette turned to Madoka who was tending to the several unconscious victims that the witch had lured to its hideout. One victim in particular.

"Hey, how's Hitomi doing?"

The pinkette sighed and gave a relieved smile. "She's out cold but I think she'll be okay."

Sayaka looked at Hitomi guiltily. Had she found the witch and killed it faster, the girl wouldn't have gotten into that mess in the first place. _I need to be faster next time. Faster, stronger, better!_ She mentally berated herself. _You're useless! You weren't even able to help in killing that witch! You need to stop being so useless! _It was then she realized something. She materialized her soul gem and saw that it was surprisingly dark. _Calm down Sayaka. They were saved in the end and that's all that matters._ Her breathing steadied but the gem grew no brighter. _Why is it still dark!?_

"Sayaka Miki, control yourself. You're expending too much magic in healing these people." Homura said, bringing her out of her inner thoughts.

The bluenette blinked. Without really realizing it, she was using her powers to restore the energy that the witch devoured from their victims. After she intentionally turned off her healing magic, she found that it was easier to think clearly.

"Thanks..." She said. "... And sorry..."

"Don't let it happen again." The raven haired girl was holding a cell phone which she curtly dropped on top of one of the unconscious witch victims. "I called the police using that man's phone. I suggest we leave before they arrive." She transformed back into her magical girl outfit and jumped out the window.

"C'mon, Madoka." Sayaka transformed as well and picked Madoka up in her arms. She followed Homura out.

**MADOKA MAGICA**

The sun was setting in the industrial district of the city and Sayaka had just defeated a familiar. She was about to celebrate with Madoka when a mysterious girl with crimson hair dropped in between them.

She was a magical girl, clad in a sleeveless tunic, battle skirt and boots. In her hands was a large bladed spear. The lighting complemented her outfit's red and white color scheme.

The red lancer took a step towards the blue fencer who took a step back, readying her weapon. The lancer smirked and pulled out a box of pocky. As she ate her snack, she began speaking. "You're pretty good. Took you only an instant to take that thing down" She complimented.

A wall of cards materialized behind the lancer, separating the two from Madoka. Sayaka grit her teeth. _Who is this girl? What does she want?_ She bent her knees, lowering her center of gravity, sword raised to strike at a moment's notice.

"But still, I gotta wonder. That was only a familiar. It doesn't drop any grief seeds" She finished eating the pocky stick. She took another one out of its box. "It's gotta eat two - no - three more people before it turns into a witch. You can't just kill the goose before it lays the golden egg" Another bite and a second pocky stick was eaten.

"You'd let innocent people die?" Sayaka growled. She didn't like what she was hearing.

"Every hear of the food chain, kid?" The red magical girl asked. She took out another stick. "The witches kill the weak little humans while WE kill the witches. It's the natural order of things"

She'd heard enough. "Shut up!" Sayaka charged, intending to cut off the girl's head.

There was a sound of clashing steel. The lancer had brought up her spear to block the fencer's slash. Their weapons locked and Sayaka tried to push back. The other girl was apparently stronger than her as she didn't even budge.

"Let me guess. You're one of those stupid-ass magical girls who want to save the humans from witches? You want to be a hero and fight for justice, right?" She turned her head back to look at the human girl behind her, Madoka. She smiled "You don't really believe in all that bull, do you?"

"I said shut up!" With one final push, Sayaka jumped back, once again in a readied stance._ Remember Homura's lessons. If it won't work no matter how hard you try, then try something else. Only an idiot would do something they already know would fail... Well, let's do that. Let's try something else!_

The fencer lunged at the lancer once more and, again, the attack was blocked. She summoned another blade in her other hand and made for a stab at her enemy's leg. The lancer grew wide eyed and brought her spear down for a parry. As the sword swing was deflected, Sayaka used the momentum to spin around for another slash. The red magical girl was serious now. She let go of the box of pocky and held onto her weapon with both hands now. There was another clash of steel and the two both jumped back to put some distance from one another.

The pony tailed red head looked at the fallen box of snacks and frowned. She glared at Sayaka. "Oh, you've done it now..." She yelled angrily. "I'm gonna whoop your rookie ass so hard you'll never be able to sit down ever again!"

"You wanna bet!?"

The two charged at one another

**MADOKA MAGICA**

_Sayaka Miki and Kyouko Sakura are locked in combat... Should I be surprised...? I suppose I must put a stop to it. After all, I can't count on their assistance if they kill each other..._

**MADOKA MAGICA**

**And so, they began fighting. Really, I bet you all expected this. The fight isn't as one sided as it was in the anime, though. Anyway, I hope you liked it. If you didn't, then I supposed I should try harder next time. Review if you want. The next chapter should come within the week... probably.**


	13. Detatched

**So, Kyouko and Sayaka are going toe to toe and Madoka can only watch. She must feel so useless, mybe as useless as Sayaka felt a few chapters ago. Hope you enjoy.**

**MADOKA MAGICA**

_It seems Sayaka Miki and Kyouko Sakura's battle is more intense than I had anticipated._

_I suppose it's due to my instructing her in the art of combat. This timeline's Sayaka is far more skilled than any of her previous incarnations. Thus, her battle with Kyouko is not as one sided. So now they're BOTH as likely to get killed by the other..._

_One problem solved, another replaces it..._

**MADOKA MAGICA**

Echoing all throughout the desolate industrial district was the sound of clashing steel. In an undisclosed alleyway, red was met with blue and sword was met with spear. The lancer and fencer faced each other in single combat. Every slash was blocked and every stab was parried. They were evenly matched.

The red lancer was wild and destructive. She blocked almost all of the fencer's strike and the ones she failed to block merely grazed her - and none of them even made her flinch. Her own attacks on a whole other level. While all of her spear thrusts were dodged or deflected, she was able to snap one of the enemy's blades in two.

The blue fencer was nimble and relentless. She may have lost a sword but she had not been hit once. With the use of her speed, she managed a few glancing blows. They weren't large wounds but they didn't need to be. She jut needed to keep up her barrage and she'd wear her opponent down. She'd win, provided she doesn't take a direct hit by one of the lancer's deadly attacks.

While their battle was glorious, the one and only spectator to the fight was not awe inspired. In fact, she was appalled.

Madoka watched helplessly as her best friend fought life and limb for no apparent reason. Was it a scarred sense of pride? Was it because of the insult to Mami's policy of fighting familiars to prevent further death? Was it because of a sense of duty? Did Sayaka truely believe that the lancer was an evil person? Either way, the thought of magical girls fighting one another didn't sit well with her.

_Why do they have to fight? They aren't enemies. I want this to stop, please!_ Madoka wanted to scream but the words got stuck in her throat. She was helpless. She couldn't do anything. She could only watch from the other side of the magic cage of cards the red magical girl had created. _Please don't die, Sayaka..._

**MADOKA MAGICA**

Sayaka was winning. The other girl had yet to land a single blow but Sayaka managed to cover the red clad lancer with cuts all over or body. Her movements has slowed, allowing the fencer to land even more hits. Perhaps in desperation, the lancer aimed a thrust at her legs. Sayaka side-stepped and stomped her foot onto the spear shaft. The tip was embedded into the concrete. Sayaka smirked and stabbed with her cutlass.

It was then that Madoka knew who would win. She had sat through Sayaka and Homura's training sessions. She learned the signs - she could see the signs. The lancer wouldn't be able to pull the blade from out of the ground in time to block the attack. If she let go of her spear to dodge the sword, she'd be left defenseless to a counter attack. Sayaka had won.

Or so she thought. The bluenette's smirk was soon replaced with an open mouth of surprise.

The lancer's spear separated into several segments, creating a chain. Sayaka's foot was still on the shaft when it segmented. She lost her balance in an instant. The chain wrapped itself around Sayaka's hand causing her to lose her grip on her cutlass. The pony tailed girl then whipped the chain upwards and then high kicked the fencer in the chin. With that, she was knocked to the floor.

"Game over" The red lancer spun her spear above her head. With a step forward and a massive downward swing, she slammed the flat of the spear's blade onto the girl's chest. The attack was strong enough to crack the concrete floor below her - one could only imagine what it did to her ribs.

_Sayaka, NO!_

**MADOKA MAGICA**

Madoka banged hopelessly on the magic cage she was trapped in. "Sayaka..." The said girl was sprawled on the floor. She wasn't breathing. Madoka could see the soul gem on her stomach - which was still glowing, at least - but it was darkening at an alarming rate. "This is bad. This is very very bad..."

It was then that Sayaka stirred. Slowly, she began standing back up, looking less like a human and more like a corpse coming back to life. Soon she was back on her feet, much to the horror of Kyouko.

"That hit broke all of your ribs!" She yelled as she took a step back. "No one should be able to stand back up after that..."

_"You're right. It really hurt..._" Sayaka spoke through her mind. _"It think you might have even crushed my lungs and stopped my heart..."_ A large circle of music notes appeared under her feet. _"But that doesn't mean you've won..."_

"What ARE you!?"

Sayaka coughed. Her lungs were working again. "I'm just a magical girl..." She said, a little out of breath. "My name's Sayaka Miki" With that, she charged once more towards the lancer.

Madoka watched all of this happen. She knew what had happened. She knew, but she wished she didn't.

Sayaka had most likely detached her mind from her body in the moment the spear slammed into her chest. She didn't outright sever the connection, just enough to only feel a dull throb upon the attack's impact. Then she used her regeneration magic to fix her ribs and other broken body parts.

From the looks of things, Sayaka hadn't managed to fully reconnect with her body yet as she was still moving pretty clumsily. A far cry from the agility she had displayed earlier. Perhaps the lancer did not notice this as she did not seem to be eager to engage the bluenette anymore.

It disturbed Madoka greatly that Sayaka had resorted to using that technique. Homura had told them that completely suppressing one's pain could have a heavy negative impact to one's mental health. For a magical girl, that was worse than fatal.

"Get back! GET BACK!" The red clad magical girl was no longer holding back. Her attacks were no longer aiming to maim. She was out to kill. With a sideways swing, her spear cut into Sayaka's side. The clumsy attempt by the fencer to deflect the attack with her cutlass ended with the pole arm sticking out of her thigh.

Sayaka grunted and began sliding her blade up the spear's shaft, ignoring the wound on her leg. She wanted to cut off the lancer's hand. She was too slow so her opponent kicked her back. Another magic circle appeared on her thigh and it healed almost instantly.

Madoka watched tensely as Sayaka was wounded and healed again and again. She was about to break down in tears, pleading for the bluenette to stop when she sensed something change. Suddenly, Sayaka was no longer getting hit. She finally reconnected her mind and was now as nimble as she was earlier.

In fact, she was arguably faster. The lancer was hard pressed to defend as a blue blur dashed around her, even with her chain spear that she used to surprise her earlier. The cuts she managed to give were now longer and deeper. Now Madoka was SURE Sayaka would win.

_"Look away."_

Madoka blinked. "Homura?"

_"Close your eyes and cover your ears"_

A grenade appeared in between Sayaka and the red lancer. There was a flash and a deafening bang.

When Madoka opened her eyes, she was Homura standing over a fallen Sayaka. The lancer was proping herself up with her spear.

"Kyouko Sakura..." The raven haired girl said. "I apologize for my student's actions. She's a bit of an idiot."

The lancer, Kyouko looked at the bluenette with mixed emotions. Madoka could see fear, disgust, anger, and more than a little curiosity. "She... she's..."

"She is unconscious." Homura assured. She looked back toward's Madoka. "Take Sayaka Miki and get her away from here. There are some things I wish to discuss with Miss Sakura."

Madoka frowned but did as she was told. She slung Sayaka over her shoulder and began carrying her away. Stealing one last look at Homura, she said "Good luck, Homura" and began walking away. The raven haired girl didn't reply and only stared at her. _Why'd she have that look of pain in her eyes again?_ Madoka wondered.

**MADOKA MAGICA**

_It seems I got there just in time._

_I'm surprised Kyouko is as hurt as she is. She has little ability to use magic so I know she compensated by becoming more physically able. She isn't lacking in defense by any means. Sayaka must have just been faster._

_Speaking of which, her descent is already starting. I explicitly told her that she was not to use that technique unless she was likely to die. Kyouko Sakura was not aiming to kill her. I must speak with her about this..._

_Now, there are things Kyouko should know..._

**MADOKA MAGICA**

**I don't know what high I was riding this past weeks to be able to upload a chapter every two days but that high has subsided. I'll still be writing for this story but expect less frequent updates.**

**'Til my next chapter, I bid you all farewell.**

**P.S. I'm weirdly happy that my fic's word count was an easy to remember number recently. Two chapters ago it was 16,000 and last chapter it was 17,555. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case with this chapter. And so, I decided to make this end note longer than is necessary, all for the sake of a word count. There we go.  
**


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